Toronto best happy hours: East end edition

Happy Hour, False Economy Hour, Cocktail Hour, call it what you will, but one thing is for sure: there’s no shortage of daily drink specials or happy imbibers on Queen Street East. These bars, pubs, restaurants and taverns do it best, offering great drinks at reduced prices to make your first few hours after work even more enjoyable. [Image credit: iStock.com/Pekic]

This tiny east-end tavern is known for its high caliber specialty drinks, both thirst-quenching and savoury. During cocktail hour from 5:30 to 7 pm you can order a dark ‘n’ stormy or Texas Panhandler for $8. Bonus: Steigl’s are on tap for $5 and Ontario Dolomite riesling and Italian Primitivo wines are $8.

At this little Leslieville local, False Economy Hour (in honour of the late literary icon Christopher Hitchens) is all about vinyl records, cult films on the projector, picnic-like tables on the patio and $5 beers on tap. Local craft beers picks including Duggan’s No. 9 IPA and Left Field Saison dominate the options and you can steal a serious deal on them weekdays from 5 to 7 pm.

A Texas Panhandle at Riverside’s favourite cocktail bar is made with gin, blood orange soda, lemon and lime juices, and simple syrup, served on ice and topped with Sierra Nevada beer. During cocktail hour, it’s all yours for $8. Or you can order a Manhattan, a Tom Collins or a glass of house wine for the same price. To boot, Steigl pints are on for $5 and oysters are half price. If you’re searching for inspired setting for your post-work Tinder date, this should be your east-end pick.

On Wednesdays this east end restaurant hosts an all-day social hour, where you can order draught beer, select bottled beer, house wine, and select spirits for only $5. All appetizers are half-off all day as well. There’s nothing better than a happy hour that feels like it will last forever, except maybe for modern Italian fare like polenta and meatballs and salmon affumicato.

Between 5 and 7 pm and 10 and 11 pm this swanky speakeasy in Riverside celebrates hooch hour in style every day. All draught and bottled beers (and there are lots), house wines, and ultra-premium bar rail brands including Jameson and Tequila Tromba are $5.09 each, which means you can also afford to eat.

Every day is happy hour at this Riverside dive bar. If you get a chance, grab a seat by the garage door window and feel like the king of Queen after 5 pm. Hi-Lo is known for its $5 pints, cheap bar snacks, and general awesomeness, often hosting DJs and live music.

Karen Lloyd is a Queen East scribe who fancies gritty dive bars, street meat smothered in French’s mustard and hanging out at dog parks. In addition to writing twisted non-fiction about her neighbourhood for The Local Rap, Karen also specializes in digital marketing, website design, food photography and social media.

Be unpredictable and change up your Friday night pizza and movie plans with an order of delicious dumplings. These tasty Cantonese treats are unexpectedly filling and come stuffed with a variety of ingredients. Whether you’re a meat lover or vegetarian, you’ll love it when a box of these steaming dumplings get delivered right to your doorstep. [Image credit: iStock.com/tad1962]

Whether they’re mixing with gin or vodka, spicy ginger beer or Domaine de Canton, fresh lime or lime liqueur, these Toronto restaurants have mastered the Moscow Mule, each with its own tasty twist. Some even serve this flavor-filled cocktail in its traditional copper mug for a full-on ‘50s feel. [Image credit: iStock.com/rez-art]

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